Golden State Warriors’ Future Doesn’t Include Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut is on the verge of a potential buyout. Could a return to the Golden State Warriors help bolster their front line?
On Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks traded Andrew Bogut to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Justin Anderson and a 2017 conditional first-round pick for Nerlens Noel.
According to Marc Stein, Andrew Bogut and the 76ers have already begun to have conversations regarding a buyout.
Andrew Bogut is a wanted man.
With no second trade looming for Andrew Bogut, league sources say Bogut and the Sixers will immediately begin contract buyout discussions.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2017
Even before he is officially free to sign elsewhere, he has multiple teams lining up for his services. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs are all reported to have interest in Bogut.
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Before we dive into whether or not the Golden State Warriors should sign Bogut there are a couple of questions we need answers to. First, are the Warriors even allowed to sign Andrew Bogut after trading him this past summer?
There is a rule in place that states the last team to trade a player is ineligible to then re-sign that same player. However, this is a unique situation. Therefore the answer to that question is yes. Due to a loophole in the CBA the Warriors would be able to sign Bogut.
Even though the Warriors traded Bogut this past summer, technically the Mavericks are the last team to trade him.
The reacquisition restriction rule only applies to the "last trade" and not all prior trades as well.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 23, 2017
The second question which we need an answer to is this: Do the Warriors even have interest in signing Andrew Bogut at this time? Or does Bogut even have interest in re-signing with the team who shipped him out last summer?
At this point it is unclear if either the Warriors or Bogut would have interest in a reunion.
NBA's reacquisition rule doesn't apply to GSW, because Dallas becomes most recent to waive Bogut. G-State undecided on its Bogut interest.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 24, 2017
One of the best aspects of being fans is that we get to freely speculate. So let’s get ready to speculate!
Golden State Warriors
The last time we saw Andrew Bogut in a Warriors uniform he was limping off the court after an injury to his left knee. That was during a Game 5 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Bogut would go on to miss the final two games of the series.
Bogut’s loss in that series appeared to shift the momentum to the Cavaliers. I know Warriors fans hate to be reminded, but the Warriors were up 3-1 in the NBA Finals when Andrew Bogut was available to play the whole game.
This season Andrew Bogut is averaging 3.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The NBA best knows Bogut for his inside presence on defense and his rebounding ability. Bogut’s total rebound percentage sits at 21.8, which is his career high. However, his numbers are down in all other areas.
He only has a true shooting percentage of 46 percent, a player efficiency rating of 9.2 (15 is league average) and a box plus/minus of minus-0.3. All of those are career lows for Bogut.
His block percentage is also way down at 3.9 percent, which is Bogut’s lowest since his fourth year in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks.
With all of that being said, lets take a look to see how the Warriors have fared so far this year compared to 2015-16 when Andrew Bogut was roaming the paint. The numbers look basically identical to last year.
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The Warriors’ defensive rating from 2015-16 to this season is almost the same, emphasis on “almost.” They had a defensive rating last year of 100.9 compared to 100.8 this year without Bogut.
Last season the Warriors rebounded 51.3 percent of available shots. This year they are hauling in 51.1 percent.
So defensive rating and rebounding percentage are a wash. Let’s take a look at how the Warriors fare in the opponent shooting categories. The area where Bogut is going to have the most impact on an opponents shot is inside the paint.
During the 2015-16 season Warriors allowed teams to shoot 57.7 percent from five feet and in and 37.5 percent from five to nine feet. This season the Warriors are allowing teams to shoot 58.3 percent from five feet and in and 37.6 percent from five to nine feet.
Basically indistinguishable.
No matter which direction we look the Warriors defense and rebounding has not appeared to have slipped with the loss of Andrew Bogut.
Bogut has once again struggled with injuries this season and hasn’t played more than 24 minutes a game since the 2013-14 season.
Zaza Pachulia has held down the starting center position for Golden State all season. Although he isn’t nearly the menacing presence down low that Andrew Bogut is, he has done an admirable job for the Western Conference champions.
When you add in the fact that the Warriors also love to play small ball by moving Draymond Green to the 5, you come up with an answer that does not include Andrew Bogut. Andrew Bogut’s aging body is not what it used to be.
Next: 2017 NBA Trade Deadline: Grades For All 30 Teams
The Warriors have also shown that they can be a successful defensive team without Bogut. It is time for the Warriors to stay moved on from the Andrew Bogut era.